Made in the Nene Valley? Identifying the origins of mortaria using ICP analysis

The ICP data showed that the Nene Valley mortaria are compositionally distinct from the Mancetter-Hartshill mortaria in terms of major and trace elements, and the Upper and Lower Nene Valley mortaria could be differentiated from each other using trace elements. Some mortaria were stamped by the potters that made them and so the compositional data could be used to determine where each potter worked. The Nene Valley mortaria were made from the Upper Estuarine Series clay, in common with other types of Roman pottery produced in the Nene Valley, and so the data presented here have also proved useful for investigating the origins of other types of wares.